Vroom! ... Aargh! ... Eeesh! ... Careening out of a 180° hairpin bend, engine screaming at 6,800 r.p.m. and rear wheels adrift, the smoking blue racing machine slides perilously close to the curve, then barrels into a straightaway. "C'mon now," the driver growls through gritted teeth. "Punch that pedal! Now feather the gas! Hug that curve like your darlin'.. . !"

The driver is not Mario Andretti. He is a thrill-seeking visitor at Malibu Grand Prix where anyone can safely savor some of the adrenaline-pumping, gut-clutching fever of Grand Prix racingon a minitrack, in a scaled-down Formula 1 speedster. Le petit Grand Prix is one of the hottest pastimes in Texas.